Maryland Wing will once again be host to participants of the International Air Cadet Exchange (IACE) who are traveling to the United States to experience our culture. Participants meet in Washington, DC, with members of the Civil Air Patrol from around the nation for several days of sightseeing before proceeding to their host Wing.
Beginning on July 25 and lasting until August 4, Maryland Wing will host five IACE participants from Hong Kong and Israel. Our guests will travel around the Wing, staying with host families and visiting many sights along the way. They will learn about the Civil Air Patrol and aviation along with experience historical and fun activities as well. Along with staff members from Maryland Wing, several squadrons will be assisting with this year’s IACE hosting: Carroll Composite Squadron, St. Mary’s Composite Squadron, Fort McHenry Composite Squadron, and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite Squadron.
Maryland Wing members and IACE participants will be keeping a blog of their travels, providing regular updates on their experiences and insights. The blog can be viewed at www.iacemarylandusa.wordpress.com. We hope to provide photos as we go along in our travels as well. The blog also features the day by day schedule of the IACE Maryland Wing program.
The schedule is very full and will include the following:
- Gettyburg National Battlefield
- CAP National Honor Guard Academy
- Western Maryland
- Inner Harbor in Baltimore
- Fort McHenry
- Baltimore Ravens Training Camp
- Warfield Air National Guard Base
- Weide Army Airfield
- Hershey Park
- Carroll County 4H Fair
- Orientation Flights on CAP aircraft
- Andrews Air Force Base
- Patuxent River Naval Air Station
- CAP squadron meeting
- Other activities including BBQs, swimming, and shopping
Following their stay in Maryland Wing, the IACE participants will return to Washington, DC, where Civil Air Patrol members will assist them in their return travels to their home countries.
Additional information about the International Air Cadet Exchange can be found at www.iacea.com. For information on how to become involved with Civil Air Patrol’s IACE program, visit www.cap.gov/iace.
The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force, was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U. S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 56,000 members nationwide. The organization’s members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and were credited by the AFRCC with saving 103 lives in fiscal year 2007. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.
Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP’s cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. CAP has been performing mission for American for more than 63 years.
There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org.
Brenda Reed, Capt, CAP
Public Affairs Officer
Civil Air Patrol Maryland Wing
